Jordan Kobritz

Articles matching tag: GOLF

Jordan Spieth won this year’s British Open, golf’s oldest tournament, in dramatic fashion but that may not be the most enduring memory of his performance.
During the first two rounds of the tournament Spieth could be seen vigorously chewing gum. That sparked a debate about the role, if any, that gum chewing plays in sports performance. The discussion began during live coverage of the rounds on the Golf Channel and was flamed by social media. Did chewing gum contribute in any way to Spieth’s performance or was it merely coincidence?
Researchers have left nary a stone unturned and sure enough, there is scientific research on the effects of gum chewing on physical and cognitive performance. And not surprisingly, the findings from those studies are far from uniform.

Muirfield Golf Club in Scotland, which has hosted 16 previous British Open Championships, recently voted to admit women for the first time in the club’s 273-year history.
It was the second time in the past 10 months that Muirfield’s members voted on the issue of female members. The prior vote failed to garner the necessary two-thirds majority, failing by a margin of 64 percent to 36 percent. Last month’s vote was supported by more than 80 percent of the members. Women had been allowed to play the course on certain days as guests of current members, similar to male non-members.

When Arnold Palmer passed away last month at the age of 87 the world lost a one-of-a kind legend.
In the 1960’s, when televised sports were in their infancy, Palmer single-handedly brought the country club sport of golf to the masses and the masses in turn were drawn to the sport. His charisma, swagger and Hollywood good looks, along with his go-for-broke playing style, made him universally attractive to men and women alike. He internationalized tournament play by annually crossing the pond to play in the British Open, drawing other top players with him. His repeated heroics at the Masters Tournament – which he won four times - put the exclusive Augusta National Golf Club on the map.

A decade ago, when Tiger Woods was the best player in the world, golf looked like a growth industry. Player participation and number of rounds played were increasing, new manufacturers were entering the field and corporate sponsors were clamoring over each other to jump on the bandwagon. But fast forward to today and hardly anyone would recognize the sport.
Golf participation has steadily declined. Corporate investment in the game has shrunk substantially. A number of golf manufacturers have exited the marketplace, the latest being Nike. The world’s largest sports apparel company, with over $30 billion in annual sales, announced earlier this month that it would no longer manufacture golf clubs, balls and bags. However, Nike will continue selling golf footwear and apparel.

According to the tabloids, Tiger Woods and Lindsey Vonn are the new number one sports power couple in the world, which raises a multitude of questions. For example, who did they displace? What are the rankings based on, wealth? Unscientific public opinion polls? Career victories? Career earnings? Length of their relationship? The couple’s impact on society? Beauty?
The latter may be the place the media starts. Not all, but many athletes are among the most beautiful people in the world. Athletes, male and female, are also among the fittest, tannest, most physically attractive human beings in our society. And beauty begets beauty. Vonn and Woods are no exception. When he isn’t treating media conferences like a day in the dentist’s chair, Woods can display a million watt smile that could light up the darkest room. Vonn is outgoing and personable and at 160 pounds is much more appealing to the eye than any Victoria Secret model sauntering down a runway.